Forensic microscopic toolmarks as evidence in cases involving the manufacture of illicit drug tablets

Eyal Aronson, DIFS

In a crime scene, suspected of being a drug laboratory, A hydraulic press was found. The rest of the crime scene was swiped clean with no traces of controlled substances. However, in a yard nearby, the investigators found MDMA tablets and dies which were stamped with "playboy", Mitsubishi" and "cross tabular" logos. Fingerprints and DNA were not recovered from either the crime scene or the evidence in the yard. The Toolmark and Materials laboratory was able to demonstrate a connection between the evidence found in the yard and the hydraulic press that was found in the crime scene, thus, providing an critical forensic evidence for the investigation unit.